The World as We Know It
by Lore55
Summary: At some point the world ended. It was all Ace's dads fault. Zombie AU! Ace/Marco


**This is Day 9 for a Halloween challenge I did over on AO3 that I thought you guys might enjoy!**

At some point, the world came to an end.

Ace knew this. Everyone knew this about the world. It was over. It had ended, the apocalypse had risen from cemetery and mortuary slabs and fire had lit the skies above. The infestation began, tiny abnormalities that burrowed into the skin and changed the people bellow.

The older folks were either killed by it and resurrected or nothing happened at all and they had to live with the corpses trying to kill them.

Ace wondered some days what it was like to exist before them. What the hollow towers of the cities looking like when they were filled with people instead of broken glass. What did they sound like before the windows were all broken and all that was left was the howl of dying animals through the cement. He didn't know what the roads were like when they were paved regularly and not walled off on either side by cars that sat like long dead beasts.

He would never know. All because of his _father_.

There was so much of the world that Ace was missing. Parents, community, history. Home. He had none of it.

All he had was a high rise he had renovated, attached escape cables to and hidden weapons in, squirelling death away for winter when the packs of Dead walked through cities and the stench of rotting corpses permeated the air.

It wasn't winter, though, that fine day in july. The sun was brilliant, a ball of fire and light that beat down on Ace's covered head mercilessly. The bright orange hat was a gift from his brother, before they'd had to split up years ago.

The ache of grief had been patina'd by time and now whenever he looked at the hat he was filled with fondness and hope for Lu. Knowing him, he'd already amassed a bunch of loyal followers that would go through hell or high water for him.

Ace had never been as good at collecting people as his brother. Luffy had a light about him, an aura that drew people in and held them in his orbit. Luffy was tenacious and irresistible. Ace was not. He was a little to angry, a little too jaded to really keep anyone around. He'd joined caravans before, conglomerated with other humans when he needed to, but that was it. He was better off on his own. He just couldn't risk anyone getting close enough to find out who he was.

That day, he was alone, sifting through abandoned cars to try and scavenge some leather to fix up his boots. He'd need a new pair before long, but the closest Famous Footwear was more than a days walk away, and he wanted to avoid going that far from his sanctuary if he could. It was safer that way.

Something moved, a few cars over. The sound was small, just the smallest scuff of sneaker on cement but it was enough to have Ace's hand on the knife at his belt. He never bothered with guns. They were too loud and too unreliable.

A head popped up on the other side of the street. There was a hood pulled up over someone's head, purple. He could barely see a trace of blond sticking out from under it.

Ace eased out of the care carefully. They'd probably heard him trying to rip up the seat anyhow, but he could try. He pulled the first few inches of his knife out of its holster. He coudln't tell if the person was breathing. Their shoulders weren't moving. Even if they were, humans weren't always safe either. They stood across the dead road from him, hidden in an alleyway.

The stranger spoke.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" Ace returned. He slowly made his way around to the hood of the subaru. The stranger, alive, apparently, shifted around to look at him. He coudln't see much of their face under the shadow of the hood.

"Why _hello_ ," he could see their lips curve upwards.

"Don't get any ideas," Ace warned. He knew that tone, and it was enough for him to thin a smile back, somewhere between weary and flattered.

"Sorry," the strange said, but he sounded like he was lying, "I wasn't expecting anyone to be here. There weren't any other groups in the city when we got in. This isn't how I was expecting the day to go."

"Oh?" Ace kept a distance between them that was safe but as he moved forwards so did the stranger. Further out of the alleyway and closer to the light of the sun.

"No."

"You said 'we', there's more of you?" Ace pressed. He was ready to bolt if he had to.

"Yeah. My family and me," the stranger said. Ace didn't know his name. The stranger didn't know his either. Ace grimaced.

"I'm Portgas D. Ace, by the way. Pleased to meet you."

"Very polite," this time the smile showed a few teeth. "I'm Marco Newgate."

"Marco. Hello," Ace almost kicked himself. How many times had he said hello now? Too many times. Damn.

Marco took him with good humor.

"Hello," he said in return. "We're setting up down by the river. Good hunting, fresh meat, and a lot of mouths to feed. You can join us if you like."

"You just met me. And you want to have me for dinner?"

For some reason Marco laughed loudly.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Because-"

A growl interrupted them. Both of them stiffened. Ace looked to the side, tensing. He hadn't heard them coming, he was too focused on Marco. And now there was at least a dozen dead walking towards them. They lumbered slowly, shuffling on rotting legs. Even from the distance Ace could see the gree veins that crawled across their necks and surrounded their glass green eyes.

"Shit," Ace hissed. He lunged and grabbed Marco's arm, giving him a tug. "Come on, this way. Fast!"

"I can't move fast," Marco hissed. He stumbled when Ace pulled him, limping noticeably when he tried to move faster.

"Just move faster than them," Ace snapped, pointing to the oncoming pack of hunters. He couldn't take twelve at once, and Marco was injured. Who sent out the injured man to scout?! Ace pulled him as fast as Marco could go, half hobbling half running in a shuffle that could have been a dance from the 90s.

Ace dragged him halfway into his apartment building and slammed the door shut soundly. He knocked a bar in front of it and got Marco to follow him up to the stairwell. He shooed him onto a platform he'd rigged up and made quick work of lifting them with the levers and pulleys and ropes.

"Fancy," Marco said. He looked down wearily.

"You're not scared of heights, are you?" Ace teased. He brought them to a stop at the twelfth floor. He let Marco get off the makeshift elevator first. Before he hopped off and onto the landing. He'd knocked out most of the stairs bellow to keep any infiltrators out.

"You gave me shit for asking you to dinner, now you've brought me back before even getting dinner?" Marco elbowed him lightly. Ace snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, so what?" Ace narrowed his eyes at him. He unlocked the door and let Marco into his apartment. It wasn't exactly neat or tidy, there were more weapons than anything else hanging out on counters, tables, and the floor. A metal pipe with blood stains still on it was propped up in the corner.

Marco turned slowly, taking it all in. Ace let him, taking the chance to fetch a couple of cups of water. He kept his eye on Marco the whole time. Out the window he could still hear the small pack beating at his door. The dead were always more eager to meet him than anyone else.

Marco thanked him for the water and drank it slowly. Ace struggled to come up with something to say and in the meantime took to staring. Marco was taller than him by a few inches, but not as broad in the shoulders. His hair, what stuck out from under his hood and covered most of his eyes, was blond and wild. His mouth was wide, a lower lip fuller than the one above but not badly. Whoever he travelled with kept him clothed. His family. What a novel concept.

Ace squashed down the part of him that started to miss Luffy.

"Have you been here long?" Marco finally broke the silence.

"A few years. Not many people come here, and even less zombies."

Marco snorted. "Are you sure about that?"

"Today is an acception," Ace said with certainty.

"Today might be a change. You should be careful," Marco warned.

"What make's you think that?" Ace crossed his arms and leaned in so he could look Marco straight in the eyes. His heart stumbled to a stop. Bright green eyes, surrounded by green veins, stared down at him.

The impossible smiled down at him.

"The world isn't always what you think, Golden boy."

Ace did what any reasonable person would do, when confronted with a speaking corpse that called him something no one else should ever be able to guess, let alone know.

He stabbed Marco right in the stomach.


End file.
